The start of another school year signals the changing of the seasons and with it a host of new responsibilities and obligations. Parents everywhere are scrambling to make sure their kids have new clothes, school supplies and all that goes into a new year.
During times of change, it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the pressures of trying to keep up. We often feel challenged to keep life going at the same pace as we have in the past or perhaps even to “keep up” with those around us.
It is important to recognize though, that despite our efforts, sometimes life changes in ways that require us to create new “normals” rather than trying to emulate what we have done in the past. In doing so, we can decrease the stress we put on ourselves by adjusting our expectations.
Maybe this year has brought significant change to your life. Have you moved, lost a job, perhaps trying to live a two-income lifestyle on only one income now? Has there been a loss in the family, a decline in health, or some other unexpected challenge you are now dealing with?
When these things happen, we often create unnecessary stress for ourselves by trying to keep up with a life that we no longer have. It is important to be patient as we navigate the many changes life constantly brings.
I love doing endurance bike rides and while I’m not a runner, I recently found a quote by Gordon Bakoulis Bloch about marathons that makes a lot of sense to me: “The marathon is about taking on the realities of a given day, a given body, and given conditions, and simply doing the best with them that one possibly can, then watching to see what unfolds.”
You may not run marathons, but what a great statement about the value of recognizing that each year is different, that we and the conditions of our lives are subject to change. I guess it is one reason I like endurance events – I am simply trying to be the best I can be on that given day, regardless of how I have done before or how anyone else does.
It’s a new season. Be easy on yourself, do the best you can with where you are, than watch to see what unfolds!
